Bonkers Blog September 2015

Later today I shall make the three and a half mile journey to East Ham laden with food from the new
Abbey Wood Sainsbury’s store. As I approach the station I shall almost certainly
hear Southeastern apologising for the late arrival of their next train.

Excluding
the diversion to Sainsbury’s and train (three or four of them depending
on which DLR leaves Woolwich Arsenal first) delays it is a journey that takes just over
an hour door to door and I have been doing it three or four times a week for four months.

Every journey is a reason to curse Teresa O’Neill OBE (Obstructing Bridges Enthusiastically)
who pretty much single handedly, and to safeguard her own election in Brampton ward, told new
mayor Johnson in 2008 that he had to cancel Ken Livingston’s bridge.

Now that Bexley council is flat broke and needs to increase its tax base
it has suddenly realised that a three mile an hour public transport system is an
impediment to their plans. There could now be two bridges not just one.

As always happens, new infrastructure does not please everyone, and the anti group
is going to meet in the Abbey Wood Community Centre this evening. I wasn’t
planning on going but now that
the General Purposes meeting is cancelled I can - and will.

I have never been able to understand how a line of near stationary traffic is less
polluting than free moving vehicles. Perhaps I shall come away with a plausible explanation
but their message, “calling opponents” suggests they only really want to preach to the converted.